Electric-circuit-controlling apparatus.



T. L. LEE, JR. ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 33.12, 1910. RENEWED 11110. 19, 1911.

1 ,O24,588, Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

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OEWBTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO HALL SIGNAL 001mm, CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ELECTBIC'CIBCUIT-CONTB OLLING APPARATUS Speoillcation of Iettexs Patent. pt f d A 30, 1' 9513;

Application flea February 12, 1910, Serial 110. $1,540. Renewal December 1:, 191m Serial No. seesaw To all whmn it may concern:

Be, it known that I, T uonAs L. Luz, Jr., a Qitizen of the United States, residing at 'estfielil, in the count;- oflinion and Slate 515i Ne-w Jersey, have invented certain new and Improvements in Ele rtrictiir-l emit-Controlling Ap aintus, of which the following is a speci cation, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings, 10 forming part My invention relates broadly to contnct devices for opening and closing electric circuits', and it is the broad object of my invention to produce an ellicicnt contact naking device which will insure a large surf-nee ofoontact and low contact r'esistanoe.

More particularly my intention relates to the-circuit controlling contact mn- P i in ma r n y- In w i m;

In my it IS permissible to cuiploy two nfet'al oontict foro ning and closing an electric circuit: But contact devices operglerlby the um ployed to control n'ilway signals are liable to currents from lightning dis-- chargesfnml if the omtactdeyices should heooln iusedor amalgam by'an cx-.

cesii'e any other they thus maintain closure of thecirnit Wliihli: V "heopenandmiglita clear tov begiven which v would inlnoiluon great hazard tolimfic. To nroid this llmrtlylli. has boon to employ contact devices at least one of ihich is made ofan infusihlewmale rial. Gm 'tnor some form of cgrhon is;

almost universally used, and this material H inlnnlooes-too much oontapt 1-1.

- into which il;

- f y 1m fllf or some time,-

AqaecigfiQ-dyjedoi my iilmntionis to ""oweronmo' the exoe ssive cnntaot rr-s'mtance ofilevi'ro aml thus make at a limo (to rqaiifoi'm to the surface In the specific emhmliuu-nt of my invon j lion which I have illustrate-(Pin tho 120 panying drawings, this flexible and non? forming attribute of the yielding contaot device 15 aitnineil in a flexible xlevice holgl gffijl) under. tensio'nor tensile strain hotu'eentxji 'qj flexl b le arins which support it, so that when 'app'lieil latex-silly to its: co-acting crn tat [1& race it will tend to our; or wraparounilithii' unyielding surface thereof. h:

My invention broadly compn-hen'zlij though it is not limited to, a, oontact deride having a rough, broken or interruptedsurface, or Slll'fflt't. prtsenling prominent lines"; or points of oontzict, and co-a ctingwitll ii second contact devioo which it engnges o"= as to bring slid prominent lines .or points" into effective circuit-linking conflict there?- with, said seimnil'eonlaot device beingof: carbon or material which will be reln 7'5 lively soft orwjiiiok wearing so that prominent points on the rough or broken oonta'ct surface will won: contact into therelalively quick-wearing nmterial and thus increase the-mot contact. F x My invention alsocompmlwnds, broadly-f a oonlactglevice with openings in its surhoe' through which Jnay fall or escape the mi-.. nute dust or particles worn of from its co-fi acting oontact device, such as a gnphitn fi electroda My invention also hroadly-mmprehemh: a number ofoonductiw wins collectively-.- employul :w' a contact device, pnxfenbly'yo th-xihle :iml slu-tched-hetwccn elastic pods and making lateral contact with a 00: acting uloviro of relatively soft or quick \n-oring material; and more specifically. I013; invention contemplates the clnhodimwli 0L; this, feature in flexible wire ganm. .Hovl'v, g5 ever, as to a stretched flexible (mutant aevice movable only, relatively; toward and a; second contact devioc, myhroad imenlionv is not limitedto ire gauze or many or brokon as in some cases it might well. he a 'snioothmetal ribbonk Other features of niy invention jwill ap- Q pear in the follon'ingglesnription of articular embodiment which I ha iilus; lmlcdiu ncoo npanying tL-nn'ings' wlsivh,

Figure 1 i an iz'leihtioli'of a si mnmn trolling relay, showing the carbon and wiregauze contact devices in efiective engageimnt: Fig. 2 is an elpvatinn nf Hm olnc'tio .10

bow and the auze stretched out straight by platinum, silver or other suitable conductivethe bow, as w en the gauze is out of contact with the carbon contact device; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the gauze and the elastic bow in which it is mounted.

The armature proper A is mounted upon a suitable pivot B in position to be attracted by the electro-magnet C. An arm or finger D is suitabl mounted on the armature and carries an istic or spring bow E bent up from any suitable flat metal stock and carrying the flexible wire gauze F stretched between its ends. The gauze may be made of wire Whenthearmatureisraiseithe upper face of the gauze is prmed laterally against the contact surface of the graphite or carbon contact member G, which ma be mounted in any suitable manner. The bilitgoand elasticity of the gauze and carrying w cause-the gauze to slightly bend or wra in around thehlbtlilttom of ttllle grap 'te contact,w 'c isp era yshgh' convex, whereby the gauze conforms to convex surface and efi'ects contact therewith over a relatively great surface and at many points. After the play has been used for sometime,thewirsofthegauaewill wear sliglht rcfctcses inkthe surface of the rela tiv so or -w graphte, thereby t l l conl a surface and causing the contact resistance to be reduced, rather than increased, by continued use of the reliy; while the or fine particles of graphite thus worn of fall h the meshofthegauzeandhencedonotmany way interfere with the operation of the device. In this construction, the spring bow Eis riveted or otherwise securedatitsmiddlepointtothe erD andtheendsofthebowarebcntin he to form a clamping surface between which the ends of the gauze are riveted. Graphite isgenGenllythebestmatcr-ialforthecontact Manifestlv the broad feature of my invention may be embodied in various IDOdlfications, all coming however within the and scope of my inveutidn broadly. claim:

1. Electric circuit oontrolhng' apparatus com 0 two contact devices movable tactsurfaceyieldinglyheldundertemion.

2. Electric circuit-controlling apparatus com tivcly soft terrupted contact surface, a second contact device with a relatively soft surface, and means for pressing the two devices together to bring the second device into contact with the prominent points on the surface of the flexible device.-

4. Electric circuit-controlling apparatus comprising a contact device with a rela tively soft or uick w a sec- 0nd and flexib e contact evice having a rough, broken or interrupted surhce adapt; ed to wear contact recesses into the soft surface of the first contact device, and means for presing the contact devices together.

5. Electric circuit-controlling apparatm comprising two contact devices movable only toward and from each other, one contact device of relatively softer quick wearing material, and the other contact device having a yielding flexible contact surface adapted to conform itself to the surface of the first contact device'and to wear contact recwes into the soft surface of the'filst' contalttl device. honmg 6. ectric circuit-con a paratus comprising one contact device a relatively soft surface, a second contact device consisting of a conductive wire gauze lidd between suitable mountings, and means for bringing said gauze into lateral contact with first said contact device.

ectric apparatus comprising one contact device, a secondmtact deviceconsistinginaflexiblecoliduotire wire gauze stretched betweui elastic flexible mountings, and mean for electing lateral contact of said gauze with the first said contact device.

8. Elecu-ic comprising one contact device of soft or k-wearmg' material, m contact d ia v i ce including a flexible conductire wire gauze stretchedhetwem suitable saidgauzelaterallyagahstthesurface 9.Ele&ric eircuit-con 'qapparatus compr'singonecarboncmtact vice,asec ondcontactdeviceinclndingaflcxihleconductivcwiregalmestretchedbetwemsuitneummmen mammmg said gauze laterally against the carbon contact device.

10. Electric apparatus comprising one contact device, a second cmtact device includinganelastiebow suitably mounted and a flexible conductor strdched between theendsofthebow andmeansfor bringing the flexible conductor into lateral contact with the first said contact device.

11. Electric circuit-controlling apparatus comprising one carbon contact device, sec ond contact, device including an elastic bow mounted at the middle and a wire gauze stretched betweenthecndsofthebomand 

